Examining two realms of public policy treated as unrelated by academics and policy-makers, namely fostering community engagement (and social capital) and tackling undeclared work, it is here shown that in the UK, these spheres are only unconnected when considering the lives of populations in affluent areas. In deprived areas, where most community engagement occurs on a one-to-one basis and usually involves the exchange of cash for favours, undeclared work and community engagement are conjoined. To conclude, therefore, the paper explores how a 'joined-up' public policy approach could be achieved.